Welcome back to Fintech Takes. 

I’m Alex Johnson, and today we’re trying something different: a little audiobook experiment. 

I’m turning my recent deep dive, “Why Is This Happening? An Exhaustive Review of the History and Nascent Culture of the CFPB,” into a podcast episode for your listening pleasure(s) anytime, anywhere.

It’s a sweeping, inside-the-agency history of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (told through interviews with more than two dozen former staffers) and an investigation into why, 14 years after its founding, the CFPB is being hollowed out in full public view.

Along the way: cockroach-infested offices, chainsaw-wielding regulators, and a Mark Andreessen quote I never thought I’d have to say out loud. 

If you haven’t read it, or haven’t revisited it since it ran in June, you’ll hear the whole essay, start to finish. 

And because the Bureau has been unusually busy these last two months, I’ve added fresh updates on what the CFPB’s been up to (surprise flip-flop on open banking and intervention in the Synapse fiasco), and what those actions tell us about the future of the Bureau.

Sign up for Alex’s Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ 

And for more exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube page.

Follow Alex: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson